Student Field Programs
CBF offers students and teachers the opportunity to learn outside while studying the Bay, its rivers, and streams during one-day and multi-day outdoor environmental education field trips. Programs are offered in DC, MD, PA, and VA.
Join us for Student Field Programs out on islands, in canoes, alongside streams, and aboard boats. Participants conduct research and utilize their critical thinking skills to evaluate the health of ecological systems. They gain a unique perspective of watershed health by combining a variety of academic disciplines including science, history, English and writing, art, math, civics, economics, and community engagement. Review rates, maximum number of participants, and minimum grade levels for each of our programs below.
Application & Essential Information
- Field Program Trip Locator Map
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Information for Parents & Guardians
- Student Field Program Health Forms: English (PDF) Spanish (PDF)
Contact us at fieldtrips@cbf.org or 1-800-445-5572
Multi-Day Programs
Located in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay, participants spend three days and two nights on-location at one of our residential environmental education centers—allowing for dynamic opportunities to study ecosystems, culture, fisheries, and economics in the largest estuary in the United States.
Application Opens: April for the following school year: fall and spring.
Deadline: May, Friday before Memorial Day.
Confirmation: July
Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis after the deadline.
| Program | Max Participants (students, teachers, & chaperones) | Minimum Grade | Grade School Rate+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Noonan Memorial Environmental Education Program (Dorchester County, MD) | 26 | 6th | $3,500 |
| Port Isobel East Environmental Education Program (Accomack County, VA) | 30 | 6th | $4,000* |
| Port Isobel West Environmental Education Program (Accomack County, VA) | 24 | 6th | $3,500* |
| Smith Island Environmental Education Program (Somerset, MD) | 30 | 6th | $4,000* |
+Rates: For college, adult, and non-school rates, please reach out to fieldtrips@cbf.org
*Ferry Information & Fees: For Port Isobel and Smith Island: program rates include the round-trip ferry from Crisfield, MD (Eastern Shore). Other ferry options listed below are available for an additional $400.
- Port Isobel: Smith Point ferry (Reedville, VA) is available between April 15 and October 15 and an Onancock, VA ferry is available year round.
- Smith Island: Smith Point ferry (Reedville, VA) is available between April 15 and October 15 and a Saxis, VA ferry is available year round.
Please note: Multi-day program rates do not include food. You are responsible for bringing food for your group plus three CBF educators (sample menus available upon request).
One-Day Boat Programs
CBF’s floating classrooms allow students to use scientific data collection and traditional watermen’s techniques to discover the health of their local river.
Fall Season
Application Opens: April
Deadline: May, Friday before Memorial Day
Confirmation: July
Spring Season
Application Opens: October
Deadline: November, Friday before Thanksgiving
Confirmation: January
Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis after the deadlines.
| Program | Max Participants (students, teachers, & chaperones) | Minimum Grade | Grade School Rate+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | ||||
| Arthur Sherwood Environmental Education Program (Annapolis, MD) | 30 | 4th | $500 | |
| Baltimore Harbor Environmental Education Program (Baltimore, MD) | 30 | 4th | $500 | |
| Washington D. C. | ||||
| Potomac River Environmental Education Program (Washington, DC) | 30 | 4th | $500 | |
| Virginia | ||||
| Hampton Roads Environmental Education Program (Virginia Beach, VA) | 30 | 4th | $500 | |
| James River Environmental Education Program (Hopewell, VA) | 30 | 4th | $500 | |
+Rates: For college, adult, and non-school rates, please reach out to fieldtrips@cbf.org
One-Day Canoe, Streamside, & Schoolyard Programs
CBF’s canoe, streamside, and schoolyard programs provide participants a unique and exciting perspective to understand their connection to local waterways and wetlands.
Fall Season
Application Opens: April
Deadline: May, Friday before Memorial Day.
Confirmation: July
Spring Season
Application Opens: October
Deadline: November, Friday before Thanksgiving.
Confirmation: January
Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis after the deadlines.
| Program | Max Participants (students, teachers, & chaperones) | Minimum Grade | Grade School Rate+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | ||||
| Maryland Rivers & Streams (rivers of Maryland) | 26 canoes/ 30 stream-based | 6th (canoe)/ 4th (stream) | $500 | |
| Philip Merrill Environmental Education Program (Annapolis, MD) | 30/60 | 4th | $500/$1,000** | |
| Pennsylvania | ||||
| Pennsylvania Streams & Schoolyards (south-central Pennsylvania) | 26 canoes/ 30 schoolyard, per session** | 6th (canoe)/ 4th (schoolyard) | $500 | |
| Virginia | ||||
| Virginia Rivers & Streams East (rivers of Virginia east of I-95) | 26 canoes/ 30 stream-based | 6th (canoe)/ 4th (stream) | $500 | |
| Virginia Rivers & Streams West (rivers of Virginia west of I-95) | 26 canoes/ 30 stream-based | 6th (canoe)/ 4th (stream) | $500 | |
+Rates: For college, adult, and non-school rates, please reach out to fieldtrips@cbf.org
**Philip Merrill Environmental Education Program may be booked for a single group (max 30) or double group (max 60).
**Pennsylvania Streams and Schoolyards may be booked for up to three 30-person schoolyard sessions per day, included in the $500 rate.
State Funding Support
Contact the following organizations for information on state funding for school groups:
- Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Trust, 410-974-2941
- Virginia: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 717-772-1828.
For questions, see the Student Field Programs FAQ or contact us at 800-445-5572 or fieldtrips@cbf.org.
Related Programs
Students and educators attending CBF's Virginia Rivers & Streams West Environmental Education Program will examine the relationship between human activities and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
CBF's mobile canoe rig travels to Virginia rivers to help students probe the Bay's biologically diverse flat water and study local plants and wildlife.
While aboard the workboat Bea Hayman Clark, students will test water quality, perform plankton studies, trawl for fish, and learn about the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.
CBF's education program at the Philip Merrill Environmental Center makes use of an exceptional location between the shores of the Bay, the woods of Bay Ridge, the tidal marsh of Black Walnut Creek, and the local fields of tall native grasses.
Join CBF educators in canoe and schoolyard-based exploration of local waterways in south-central Pennsylvania.
Join CBF educators in a canoe-based exploration of local rivers and streams in Maryland.
Bring the watershed to life as you engage your students with curriculum-based investigations on the James River Environmental Education Program.
The Hampton Roads program offers students a floating classroom to explore local waterways and deepen their knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay.
The workboat Snow Goose provides the platform from which students study the relationship between the Port of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay's Patapsco River.
Combining a fully equipped research vessel with flatwater canoes, the Arthur Sherwood program helps students understand and appreciate the ecosystem.
Located in Tylerton MD, the Smith Island Environmental Education Program emphasizes the culture and ecology of a Chesapeake fishing village.
Port Isobel is a 250-acre island east of Tangier Island and is home to two of CBF's residential island education programs.
At CBF's Karen Noonan Memorial Environmental Education Center in southern Dorchester County, Maryland, students explore pine forests, underwater grass beds, and native oyster reefs.
Meet Our Team
Related Resources
Related Stories
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Blog StoryA Day in the Education Field
What exactly happens on a CBF field experience? CBF Pennsylvania educator Adaiah Bauer walks us through a typical day in the field.
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Blog StoryOur Bay, the Perfect Classroom
As Virginia teacher Tonya Humphrey knows first-hand, environmental education is critically important to her students and their futures
